PARLIAMENTARY RIGHTS


“Norfolk Island is accordingly faced with the prospect of a democratic deficit, in which the delivery of State-type services – including such essential functions as education and health – are delivered by


unelected persons under opaque arrangements of an unknown kind.”


outgoing Administrator of the Indian Ocean Territories, Mr Jon Stanhope, has recently publicly expressed the view that, in the Indian Ocean Territories: “There are no democratic arrangements in place for State type purposes. Most State type services are delivered to Western Australian State Departments under contracts negotiated and administered by Commonwealth public servants based in Perth and Canberra.


There is no input into the content of the contracts by residents of the Territories nor are the Service Delivery Agreements under which the services are delivered published or made publicly available.”


Norfolk Island is accordingly faced with the prospect of a democratic deficit, in which the


104 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Two


delivery of State-type services – including such essential functions as education and health – are delivered by unelected persons under opaque arrangements of an unknown kind.


To seek to avoid that outcome the Norfolk Island community was given the opportunity by the Legislative Assembly to express their opinion in a referendum which took place on 8 May 2015, and in which the electors of the Island overwhelmingly expressed their opinion that the Commonwealth Parliament should not go ahead with the contemplated changes until the Island’s community had exercised their right to freely determine their political status. As the Norfolk Island’s Remonstrance said:


“The Legislative Assembly


of Norfolk Island and its democratically elected Members respectfully request that the Commonwealth Parliament affirm the rights of the people of Norfolk Island to self-government by re-examining those aspects of the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 that result in the removal of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and call on the Prime Minister to confer on the people of Norfolk Island the right to freely determine their political status, their economic, social and cultural development and be consulted at referendum or plebiscite on the future model of governance for Norfolk Island before such changes are acted on by the Australian Parliament.”


Despite this, the Federal Bills were passed by the Australian


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